


An Ugly Sweater Between Friends

by ver_ironica



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Christmas Fluff, Christmas Party, Fluff, M/M, Shance Secret Santa 2018
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-25
Updated: 2018-12-25
Packaged: 2019-09-27 08:25:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,036
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17158616
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ver_ironica/pseuds/ver_ironica
Summary: Lance decides to help Shiro get into the Christmas spirit after learning he'd never experienced an ugly sweater party before.





	An Ugly Sweater Between Friends

**Author's Note:**

> My gift for the Shance Secret Santa 2018! Thanks so much to the mods for all their hard work, and I hope you like it Linski! This is pure Christmas fluff and was such a joy to write. Merry Shancemas!

“Hold on, you’ve never been to an ugly sweater party before?” Lance asked, eyes wide. 

Shiro felt himself blushing, all his friends turning to look at him incredulously. He was thankful he tended to not show too much red when he was embarrassed. 

They were in Keith’s apartment, a usual hangout spot on Friday nights after everyone got off of work. There were a few casual drinks in a few hands, and while Shiro’s was mostly still hot chocolate, it _was_ getting later in the evening. 

“No, never, I didn’t even know they were really a thing,” he admitted. 

Keith looked shocked. “Oh yeah, it’s the one tradition that I really like. My dad and his buddies at the fire station used to get together with their families every year and try to outdo each other’s awful sweaters.” 

“When even Keith knows about it, you’ve been living under a rock,” Pidge said, raising an eyebrow at Shiro. 

That was definitely true, and it stung a little. He never liked being the odd-man out. Before Shiro could defend himself, Lance announced, “Alright, well that settles our plans for this year, guys. We’re having an ugly sweater party.”

“Is it going to be a contest?” Hunk leaned forward from the couch, eyes shining. 

Lance stroked his chin thoughtfully while Shiro wondered how one would even judge an ugly sweater contest. The ugliest sweater wins? Or the most obnoxiously Christmas-y one? Are those the same? 

“Yes,” Lance said finally, and Hunk beamed. “To raise the stakes and to get Shiro a proper competitive exposure.” 

Allura clapped her hands and laughed. “This will be so fun! Look, I already found this one on Amazon,” she said, and passed her phone around the group, earning laughs from the others. 

When it reached Shiro, he let out a surprised laugh. It was a Christmas sweater with eye-straining red and green patterns, and in the center it read “I’m on the Mice List” and had several mice designs holding presents and cookies. It was adorably terrible. 

“How about the weekend before Christmas? We can just have it here if you guys want,” Keith offered. He gave Shiro a quick look. “That’ll give you plenty of time to shop around.”

If Shiro wasn’t mistaken, he thought he noticed Keith nod his head toward Lance and then back to Shiro. He took a sip from his cup and tried to figure out what that could possibly mean.

It was settled then and the rest of the plans ironed out. In the next few weeks, food would be made--Shiro was explicitly reminded not to contribute due to his tendency to be a terrible cook--decorations would be put together, and Christmas lights would be hung on Keith’s balcony. 

Everyone made to leave, excitement for the party making their steps quick. Once they stepped out into the cold air, Lance grabbed his arm, surprising him. The others continued on, not even noticing, too wrapped up in Allura’s gossip about a coworker. 

“Shiro,” Lance hissed, ducking his head and putting a hand over his mouth. “Buddy, I have the perfect plan for us.”

“Us?” Shiro asked, his brain shorting out at the way Lance’s lanky arm hung over his shoulders. 

“I’m gonna help you win this sweater party, alright?” Lance said. “I have the perfect sweater for you.”

That stopped Shiro short, and he narrowed his eyes at Lance. “C’mon now, I know you wouldn’t give away a chance to win, you’re too competitive.”

Lance laughed and Shiro felt a flash of warmth in his chest despite the chill outside. 

“You know me too well,” Lance said. “Alright, fine. Just trust me. Stop by my place sometime this weekend and I’ll show you.” 

Shiro was nervous, but he would never turn down a chance to spend more time with Lance. “Okay, I’ll text you.” 

Lance let out a goofy victory cheer and threw his hands up dramatically. Shiro kept a smile on his face as their friends finally noticed they weren’t there, and they hurried to catch up. 

“C’mon guys, if I’m gonna sober drive I need the passengers to actually leave with me,” Hunk called. 

“We’re coming, big guy, we’re coming,” Lance said, waving his hand. He whispered to Shiro, “We’ll talk more this weekend.”

Shiro felt like he successfully looked nonchalant and casual as he climbed into Hunk’s car, but he felt a mixture of nerves and excitement. He couldn’t wait to see what Lance had in mind for him. 

***

The next day after a few more texts and teasing emojis from Lance, Shiro was on his way over to his place. It was in a decent apartment complex, with Hunk and Pidge as roommates. There was a light snowfall settling with large, fluffy flakes. As beautiful as it was, Shiro couldn’t wait to get inside. 

His glasses fogged as he let himself in through the door, long past needing to knock at their place. He sighed in relief as the heat melted into him, taking out the bite of the cold. 

“Glasses today, Shiro?” Pidge asked from where she was perched on the arm of the couch, raising an eyebrow at him. She took a bite of her cereal, and Shiro noted that it was definitely nearing 2 o’clock in the afternoon. 

“It’s the weekend and I’m allowed to be lazy with my contacts. You’re still in your pajamas,” Shiro retorted. 

“With your white hair, all we need to do is give you a fake beard and a red hat and you can be our Santa,” she teased. 

“Ha-ha,” Shiro deadpanned. “I’m not that old.” He paused. “I--the glasses don’t make me look old do they?” 

“Shiro!” Lance burst out of the hall, bundled from head to toe in jackets and scarves and gloves. “Okay, I’m ready, let’s go!”

Shiro was in the middle of shrugging off his coat. “I--uh, I just got here?”

“Yeah, and I’m busy roasting him,” Pidge chimed in. 

“Too bad, Pidge, he’s mine for the day.” Lance gave him a set of finger guns and Shiro tried to keep the confusion from showing on his face. 

He was also having trouble getting past “being Lance’s” for the day. But it was so rare that anyone surprised Shiro with plans that he was mostly feeling excitement, enough to drown out his nerves. “What did you have in mind?” he asked. 

“I’m getting you into the Christmas spirit!” Lance declared, almost before Shiro even finished his sentence. 

For a moment, Shiro considered doing the obvious. He should ask questions, figure out what Lance could even mean, or ask him how he could even make these kinds of plans in the twelve hours that had passed since they were at Keith’s. He was full to the brim with curiosity, but also exhilaration. 

He realized that he didn’t care about those questions right now. They could wait. 

“Okay,” Shiro said finally. “See you, Pidge. Tell Hunk I said hi and bye.”

“Yeah, sure guys. Have a good date!” Pidge said cheerily. 

Shiro felt his face instantly catch fire. He tried to save face by laughing, but it came out forced. His mind was whirling, stuck on that word. _Date._

“Pidge!” Lance burst. He made some more indignant sounds as Pidge stared at him smugly. 

Lance hurried Shiro out the door, who probably wouldn’t have been able to make his feet move otherwise. As the door shut, Lance looked at Shiro apologetically. 

“I’m really sorry about that,” Lance said quickly. “I didn’t mean for--I mean, I had some plans if you’re still up for it?”

The hopeful lift in his voice tugged at something in Shiro. “Absolutely, I haven’t been surprised by anyone in a long while. And between grad school and work, I could use a distraction,” Shiro said. “And to, uh, get in the ‘Christmas spirit,’ like you said.”

Lance’s smile could’ve lit a Christmas tree. He grabbed Shiro’s hand and lead him down the stairs. 

A surge of hope filled Shiro then, and he tried not to let it show on his face. Was there a chance that this actually was a date? 

Shiro had been starting to get butterflies around Lance lately. Whenever he would let out a bubbling laugh, or pick up the mood after they all had a bad week, Shiro would feel something tug at his heart. With how his heart picked up at the slightest brush of their hands, he had to admit to himself that he was completely crushing hard. 

The holidays were usually a pretty uneventful time for Shiro. His family never really had too many traditions, and he sees them only a few times in the year now that he’s in grad school. The most he had been doing lately was the Christmas party his little friend group had thrown the past few years. 

That usually meant that he had little stake in the plans or traditions he took part in during the season. But this year, it seemed like Lance was taking it upon himself to show Shiro everything that was important to him. And for Shiro…

The tug on Shiro’s heart was pulling him along with everything, curious and eager to learn more about Lance. 

Did it mean there was a possibility that Lance felt anything for Shiro? If he was going out of his way to expose Shiro to what was important and special to him, did that mean Shiro had a reason to be deserving of this attention? 

He couldn’t bear to hope. He decided to try to just enjoy this Christmas and Ugly Sweater Party as best he could, drinking in every second he got to spend with Lance. 

“We absolutely have to go to the park,” Lance announced. “That’s where they set up the best tree around. I wanted a giant tree for our tiny apartment, but that got vetoed by Pidge and Hunk pretty quick.”

And for some reason, walking in the freezing temperatures and the growing drifts of snow didn’t sound awful. It sounded surprisingly fun. He bundled his scarf tighter around his face, his cheeks were flushed. 

With Lance, everything was natural. Things had been getting easier and easier with him, and this was no different. Normally, Shiro would be an anxious knot of nerves, trying desperately to make everyone else happy. But now with Lance, he could just… relax. 

The snowflakes continued to fall as they walked. What was normally just 6th Street was now a new and beautiful 6th Street, with the stoplights casting colorful glows in the air. As they reached the park, Lance excitedly pointed out the decorations put on the fences and streetlights by the city. 

As they approached the center of the park, Lance took Shiro’s left hand in his. It was so easy, natural, that Shiro was only a tiny bit panicked. 

“There it is! Take it all in, Shiro.” Lance smiled at him.

The tree was gorgeous. This was obviously a point of pride to the city, and they didn’t hold back. Ornaments and lights were draped across every inch. There were ribbons and garlands twisting around its width. A ridiculously large star sat upon the top. The sun was getting low, and the lights on the tree were starting to shine brightly in the dusky light. 

It was nice, but Shiro’s favorite thing to look at was Lance’s excited expression. “It’s amazing,” he breathed, failing miserably at keeping his tone casual as he looked at Lance. "I can't believe I never bothered coming out here before."

Lance gave a hum of agreement and continued walking, their hands still clasped between them. They did a loop around the tree, dodging couples and families out and about as well. Lance continued his stream of chatter, and Shiro was more than content to listen. 

Lance talked about his big family and his siblings and what they all did for Christmas every year. He told stories of his sister Veronica that had Shiro’s sides hurting from laughing. 

They made their way out of the park finally as they both finally agreed they were freezing their asses off. 

“There’s a coffee place on 10th that has amazing hot chocolate,” Lance said. “Want to go warm up their first and then head back?”

Shiro was reluctant to end the day, even though that daylight was short and it was already dark out. Hot chocolate sounded amazing. 

By the time they reached the coffee shop, they were shivering too much to talk. Stepping inside was a relief as heat finally filled their bodies once again. They ordered their hot chocolates and sat next to a TV screen that was set to play a video of a fireplace burning on a loop. 

“That’s homey,” Shiro commented as he hung his coat over the back of his chair.

“Well that’s as close as we’ll get to cuddling by a fireplace,” Lance said wryly. 

The words were light, but it took Shiro out of the magic of the day for a second. He still didn’t really know what it even was. A date? Would Lance want to cuddle with him--ever? 

Should he ask?

He didn’t know. He sipped at his hot chocolate. 

“This is really good,” he said, pushing away the million thoughts in his mind. 

“Isn’t it? Hunk and I go here all the time for coffee,” Lance said, and launched easily into more of his storytelling. 

Shiro listened and laughed and smiled, and tried his best not to let his crush take over his thinking. Lance was always so kind, to everyone, why would he treat Shiro any differently?

After a long while of chatting and laughing and occasional hand holding, they agreed it was getting late and the walk back would only get worse from that point on.

“This has been really fun, Lance,” Shiro said finally, as the sight of Lance’s apartment appeared around the corner. “Thank you. This… was really sweet, and means a lot to me.” He didn’t have the guts to ask what “this” was. 

“Hey, no problem, big guy. You deserve it, you work so hard all the time, you need a break,” Lance said casually, but his eyes glanced downward for a moment before looking back up. “I didn’t even show you the main event.”

Shiro blinked. In a flash, he remembered that the goal of today had been to get him ready for a plan Lance had in store for him for the Ugly Sweater Party. “Something with ridiculous sweaters?” he asked nervously. 

Lance didn’t answer, but he gave a quick smile. He opened the door and let them inside, glancing about for anybody in the room. He gave a dramatic shushing gesture with a finger to his lips. He grabbed Shiro’s hand and lead him down the hall to his room. The door closed softly, and then Lance smirked in victory. 

“I will now show you the secret to our success!” Lance declared proudly. 

He threw back his closet door and a flourish, and inside was the answer to the entire day’s adventures. 

Shiro couldn’t help but give a startled laugh. 

“And that will help us win?” he asked dubiously. 

“Isn’t it atrocious?” Lance said. “There’s no way we could lose.” 

Shiro couldn’t help but agree. “I see now why the mindset of Christmas is key.”

“Now you’re getting it!” 

With a few more giggles, they made their arrangements for the Ugly Sweater Party. 

When Shiro was about to leave, Lance opened his mouth like he wanted to say something, but then closed it again. 

This was his last chance. “Hey Lance,” Shiro said quietly. He took a deep breath to steady himself. “Was this a date?” 

He looked up at Shiro and smiled, and his chest filled with hope. “Did you want it to be?”

Shiro could only nod, his face heating up. 

“Then yes, it was.”

***

A week later, and the day of the Ugly Sweater Party finally arrived. Lance had been texting Shiro all day, filling him with giddy excitement. They'd agreed to meet at Shiro's place and carpool, because they wanted to surprise everyone, including Hunk and Pidge. 

The doorbell rang, and Shiro jumped from where he'd been sitting, ready to leave, on his couch for the last forty minutes. He threw open his front door. 

Lance stood, wearing a simple outfit under his big coat. But in his hands was the true ugly sweater. 

"You ready, big guy?" he asked playfully. 

"As much as anyone can be," Shiro grinned. 

Shiro scooted in to Lance's left side, his prosthetic arm held delicately by Lance's left hand. Together they threw on their terrible travesty of a sweater, a monstrous two-person sweater with an eye-straining assortment of red and green patterns and snowflake designs. The words "Naughty" and "Nice" were boldly printed on Lance and Shiro's chests, respectively. It was terrible. It was amazing. 

"This is the best, let's go show the others." Lance was practically buzzing with excitement, and carrying Shiro along in his movements. 

"Uh, Lance?" 

"Yeah?"

"How are we going to get over there in this thing?"

***

They decided to walk, giggling and clinging to each other the whole way. It wasn't a terrible walk, but the ice and snow was a bit hard to navigate, especially when you're tied up with another person in a sweater. 

But they made it, and when the door to Keith's apartment opened and they strode in proudly, their friends erupted in laughter. 

"That's the worst thing I've ever seen," Keith said solemnly. 

"You guys look amazing," Hunk agreed. 

"Oh, but Shiro, Lance, do you know where you're standing?" Allura said brightly. She pointed upward, above their heads. 

In the doorway was a little bundle of mistletoe. They were together, right beneath it. 

Shiro turned to face Lance as well as he could in the sweater. "Well, this is one tradition I do know about."

Lance gave him a sweet smile. "Merry Christmas, Shiro," he said softly. 

Shiro leaned down and kissed Lance's soft lips. Lance wrapped his free arm around his neck, laughing into the kiss. It filled Shiro's heart with something light and warm.

"Merry Christmas, Lance." 

***

**Author's Note:**

> And of course after their romantic moment, everyone would say "FINALLY"
> 
> Thanks so much for reading! I hope you enjoyed these pining holiday gays as much as I did!
> 
> You can find me on tumblr [@justashance](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/justashance)


End file.
